Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that plans to arm the Syrian rebels would violate international law, citing Libya, where anti-Gadhafi forces received arms despite an embargo on the country.

Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Hague, the Russian and British Foreign
Ministers, met in London with the Russian Defense Minister Sergei
Shoigu and the British Defense Secretary William Hammond, after
lunch in Lancaster House.

“As for the possibility of arming the opposition, as far as i
understand, it is not allowed by international law, that's why
arming of the opposition directly or indirectly will be the
violation of the international law,” Lavrov told journalists at
the Press Conference.

Lavrov continued that in Libya, when the UN Security Council
imposed an embargo on supplying arms to either side of the
conflict, it was broken with arms deliveries continuing openly,
from both European and Arab countries and that this was a violation
of international law.

Hague said the UK did not rule out anything for the future as
the situation in Syria was unpredictable and may get even
worse.

He reiterated that to date, the help the UK was giving the
Syrian opposition was largely made up of a humanitarian nature and
was designed to save lives.

He added that this help sent an important signal to the Syrian
National Coalition in the absence of any political dialogue.

Lavrov said that there should be no preconditions for dialogue
in Syria “if we want to save lives” but that if the goal was
regime change then different conditions for talks may be
discussed.

“The Geneva Communiqué doesn’t have any preconditions, such
as the removal President Assad from power, and those who say this
is necessary in order to start a political process put this
geopolitical goal first, before the goal of stopping the
violence,” Lavrov said

On Monday Prime Minster David Cameron said he may break with the
EU in May and veto an extension of the EU arms embargo on
Syria.

While last month Mr. Hague announced that the UK would supply
non-lethal aid to the Syrian rebels, including four-wheel drive
armored vehicles and body armor.

Lavrov has repeatedly said that as Assad was not about to leave
Syria, the only meaningful way for talks to progress was for
Assad’s government to be included in talks with the opposition.